Sensational-Adelaide.com

Expressway pledge
Article from: The Advertiser


MARK KENNY, POLITICAL EDITOR

August 18, 2007 12:00am

John Howard will pledge $100 million to a widening of Adelaide's Southern Expressway, as the Coalition fights for crucial votes in the city's south.

And he is expected to also announce major new funding to turn the expressway into part of a new freeway from the southern suburbs to Port Adelaide.

The Advertiser has learned Mr Howard will announce the Auslink program allocation at the SA Liberal Party state conference in a speech designed to woo voters in marginal seats.

The Labor State Government, however, will be required to fund the rest of the road-widening bill, expected to be $50 million to $100 million. With the land already acquired as part of the original planning, most of the project's costs come from the construction of wider bridges and earthworks.

The decision is welcome news to residents of the expanding southern suburbs and also to beachgoers and tourists to the Southern Vales and Fleurieu Peninsula. Weekend motorists and people travelling outside of peak times have long complained they were unable to use the existing "tidal flow" road because it often tended to be open to traffic travelling in the other direction.

While the State Government's attitude to the federal funding pledge is not known, residents of the sprawling southern suburbs will place pressure on the Government to take the federal money and provide the balance.

The decision reflects the critical nature of seats in SA to the Howard Government's survival.

Kingston is held by the Liberal Party on a knife-edge margin of just 0.1 per cent, making it the most marginal Government seat.

Sitting Member Kym Richardson recently urged the Federal Government to upgrade the road to cut travel times and costs. He said the road was the top complaint within his electorate.

Business and community leaders have complained that the expressway should never have been built as a single-direction road. They say the system had been the source of major frustration for many years.

In June, a minor traffic accident in peak-hour caused heavy delays and resulted in many motorists attempting to reverse off the one-way road to use South Rd.

While duplication of the Southern Expressway is the major priority, several other road projects are being considered.

Today's announcement could prove critical in the Government's chances of retaining Kingston but could also help the Government hold the less marginal, but at risk, seat of Boothby.

Polling throughout 2007 has consistently shown Labor would win all three of Adelaide's Government-held marginals.

crawf wrote:Though it should of never been one-way in the first place!, stupid liberals

crawf wrote:You can't really make South Road a freeway, with the expressway being just one-way

Though it should of never been one-way in the first place!, stupid liberals

Ho Really wrote:

crawf wrote:Though it should of never been one-way in the first place!, stupid liberals

I don't think the Liberals were stupid with what money they had. Sometimes it is best to have something already there than nothing at all costing us even more at today's prices. At least now there's an excuse and we may get it finished.

Cheers

Conlon wary of $1bn 'poll trick'
Article from: Sunday Mail (SA)


August 19, 2007 12:15am

THE Federal Government has committed to a billion-dollar election-year plan to create a major north-south thoroughfare across Adelaide.
The Government plan, which if it goes ahead will be completed by 2020, paves the way for an almost non-stop journey from Noarlunga to Gawler based on:

MAKING the 21km Southern Expressway a two-way freeway.

A MAJOR upgrade of 22km of South Rd between Darlington and Wingfield with underpasses, overpasses and tunnels.

POTENTIAL for the continuous road to join the planned Northern Expressway from Port Wakefield Rd to Gawler.

But the plan hinges on the State Government matching the Federal Government's two pledges: $100 million for the Southern Expressway duplication and $1 billion for the South Rd upgrade.

While cautiously welcoming the South Rd plan, SA Transport Minister Patrick Conlon was quick to pour cold water on the Southern Expressway plan.

He said the duplication would cost at least $275 million, leaving a $75 million black hole even if the state provided matching funds.

Prime Minister John Howard announced the South Rd upgrade at the city end of the Southern Expressway yesterday morning, before heading to the Liberal Party's state conference.

He said the road projects dealt with "two of the most significant and legitimate road concerns of the people of Adelaide".

"Our aim is to see the upgrade of the north-south corridor from Darlington, south of Adelaide, to the CBD and the Port of Adelaide completed by 2020 and, to achieve this, we will be committing some $1 billion to be matched by the South Australian Government between now and the completion of the project," he said.

Details of the plan were sketchy, with Mr Howard referring the specifics of the route to State Government planners.

However, he revealed the project would include upgrades of overpasses at Grand Junction Rd and Cormack Rd. It is expected traffic lights will be removed and underpasses or overpasses built at several intersections. Under the plan, South Rd south of Sir Donald Bradman Drive would become part of the national road network.

Mr Howard could not say when work might start on the Southern Expressway or South Rd.

"It will depend upon the willingness and speed of the South Australian Government to match funding and also, as soon as the road construction authority – which of course is the state authority – can get busy," he said.

"You have to remember we're dealing here with a lot of road construction which traditionally would be the total responsibility of the State Government. But because of the great impact of this road funding on these roads to the people of Adelaide, it is necessary for us to provide some money above and beyond what we (already) provide."

Asked his opinion on the Southern Expressway, the world's longest reversible one-way freeway, Mr Howard labelled it "ludicrous" and "confusing" and said making it two-way should be a priority.

He said the Government's plan recognised the "longstanding need to do something about this both-ways expressway which is unique, I think, in any city anywhere in the world and must be a source of enormous inconvenience and frustration to people who live in this part of the city and use it to travel to other places, including Victor Harbor".

Mr Conlon labelled the Expressway plan as a "trick on the people of the southern suburbs" in the lead-up to the federal election.

"It's a $275 million bill (to duplicate the Expressway)," he said.

"John Howard knows we don't have $175 million sitting down the back of a couch.

"All of our existing capital funding for roads is tied up in Auslink projects. That is, Commonwealth responsibility projects."

Mr Conlon said the State Government was not given any warning of yesterday's announcement, while Mr Howard admitted there had been no "recent discussions" between the state and federal government on the issue.

"If John Howard really does want to duplicate the Southern Expressway, he could put a real offer on the table and he could come and talk to us about it," Mr Conlon said. However, he said he was "glad" with the commitment to upgrade South Rd and confident the State Government could match the $1 billion price tag.

"Fixing the north-south corridor has been our priority and I am glad to see some mention of it.

"We have a forward program of infrastructure investment for something like $1.1 billion a year so if we have an intelligent plan over that time, we can match funding," he said.

Mr Conlon said the north-south corridor, used increasingly by large freight trucks, was a priority.

In July, the State Government, RAA, South Australian Freight Council, Business SA and SA Road Transport Association put a proposal to the Federal Government for a 22km non-stop route stretching from the Southern Expressway at Darlington to the Port River Expressway at Wingfield – similar to that announced yesterday.

"My understanding is that John Howard today has given in-principle support to our plan and that's a good thing. But let's get some detail," Mr Conlon said.